Edge marking device



1 United States Patent 724,687 4/1903 Floren [72] inventor Carl E- Beers 1,898,647 2/ 1933 Teuscher 33/32EUX Dayton, Ohio (Ohio University USAID, 2,270,177 1/1942 Vawryk 1 18/ 503UX A.T.C. Kano. P.M.B. 3045, Kano, Nigeria 2,497,418 2/1950 Schroeder, Jr. 401/48 211 App]. No. 778,615 2,515,359 7/1950 Steiner 118/500 [22] Filed Nov. 25, 1968 2,770,213 1 1 1956 Rekettye 118/76 45 Patented Dec. 8, 1970 3,030,916 4/1962 Brown er a1 1 18/252 3,081,735 3/1963 Clark ll8/76X 3,403,623 10/1968 B1ackw00d.. 33/189X [54] EDGE MARKING DEVICE 3,482,324 12/1969 Samhat 33/189 90mm 8 8 FOREIGN PATENTS [52] US. (I Il /76, 636,815 5/1950 Great Britain 33/191 118/264;401/48,401/193 5 1 Imm nose "2 Primary Exam ner-Morris Kaplan 501 Field ofSearch 118/76, 77, DYbvg 500, 803, 252; 401/193, 48, 131; 33/189, 32(5), 32(D); 46/(Inquired), 41 (F); 35/(1nquired) 1 ABSTRACT: Transparent shelflike means fixedly position a uNng sz zrE fgi TENTs marker element with respect to a substrate support and guide means whereby the substrate may be moved in a predetermined path to mark a stripe thereon.

EDGE MARKING DEVICE This invention relates to an edge marking device and especially to an edge marking device for use in marking colored stripes onthe edges of library file cards and the like.

As well known, card catalogsfor libraries normally have '3 inches by inches, white file cards arranged in the alphabetical order of subject matter and authors names. Libraries are constantly expanding their facilities and now maintain copies of microfilms, records, filmstrips, artifacts and thelike as well asbooks and periodicals. To distinguishamong'the various types of materials, manylibrarieshave begun to color code the file cards in accordance with the nature of thejmaterial,

whether a book, filmstrip, record, or the like, by colored stripes drawn along the top edges of the file cards. I

The color codes are not standardized among libraries and many libraries prefer to use white cards without anycolored stripes. At the present time, therefore, the tile cardsare made form plain white card stock which some libraries'individually color code. This is a time consuming and tedious task and the cards frequently have a messy appearance because of the lack of skill or attention used in striping the cards.

Because of the relatively low volume of cards to be-color coded at any one time, elaborate, expensive marking devices 1 would not be-practical and the need exists for an inexpensive, 5

easily operated device for marking stripes on the edges of file cards. i

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a marking device especially foruse by libraries or others having color coded card filing systems, the marking device being used to place colored stripes on file cards alongthe top margins thereof.

In accordance with this invention the marking device includes a support for a file card, means for guiding a file card along the support, and a markingimplement positioned relative to the support whereby a card guided by the guide means and moved past the marking implement will be markedwith a stripe along its top edge.

Another object of this invention is to provide sucha marking device which isof an extremely simple and inexpensive construction and which iseasy to use so that employees of libraries and other places "will not needany special skill to I mark cards with an even, neat appearing stripe.

Further it is an object of this inventionto provide such a marking device for use with commercially available marking implements which are easily removed and replaced formark ing different colored stripes on different cards.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective .view of a marking device made in accordance with this invention.

FIG. 2 is an end view of the marking deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of themarking device of FIG. 1 and showing a file card in phantom lines to which a stripe isbeing applied; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of themarking device with a file card taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, one embodiment of the marking device in accordance with this invention,

generally designated 10, is illustrated therein. The marking device 10 includes a base, plateor card support member 12 of generally rectangular configuration with a card supportsurface 14 of a planar, rectangular shape forsupporting .a file card 16 illustratediin FIGS. 3 and 4. Extending along one of the longer sides of the support member 12 and upwardly from the surface 14 is a guide member 18 having a planar card guide surface 20 projecting perpendicularly upwardly from the plane of the surface 14. As apparent from FIG. 3, the tile card 16 can be manually moved or slid along the support surface 14 with its upper edge 22 engaging the cardguide surface 20 and thereby guided in a straight path along the card support surface 14.

Mounted in fixed relation to the support plate 12 and the guide member 18 is a marker positioning means comprising upper and lower marker positioning plates 24 and 26, respectively, which are mutually spaced apart by a spacer 28. The support plate 12, guide member 18, spacer 28 and the marker positioning plates 24 and 26 are conveniently assembled with longer edges of each of them coextensive and coplanar and connected together in any suitable fashion such as by bolts 30 which extend vertically through aligned bores in the various elements and which are capped by nuts 32.

The marker positioningplates24l and 26 have surface portions defining alined, sloping and circular marker receiving apertures 34 and 36, respectively, for removably receiving a marking implement 38 which extends therethrough. The marking implement38 can conveniently be a pen of the type comprising an elongate, cylindrical body member which contains fluid supplied to a felt marking tip 40. The felt tip (preferably has a forward, substantially planar marking surface Which is at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the implement 38 and has a leading or front edge44. Theapertures 34 and 36 slope and are so aligned that, with the implement 38 extending therethrough as illustrated in FIG. 4, the marking tip 40 will be immediately adjacent the guide surface 20 with its forward surface 42 parallel to and spaced just above thecard supportsurface 14. The apertures 34 and 36 are desirably slightly larger in diameter than the body of the marking implement 38 whereupon "the top end of the implement 38 can be grasped by hand and held generally outwardly with respect to the guide surface 20 and downwardly toward the support surface 14 whereupon the body of the marking implement 38 engages the top margin of the aperture 34 at a point designated 46, which is farthest from the guide surface 20,.and engages the margin of the aperture 36 at a point designated 48, which is closest to the guide surface 20. When held in this position the marking implement 38 slopes downwardlythrough the apertures 34 and 36 toward the intersection of the surfaces 14 and 20 and the leading edge 44 of beheld in theleft hand as illustrated is FIG. 2 and a file card 16 placed against the support surface 14 and the guide surface 20v and moved, withthe right hand, from right to left, as

viewed in FIG. 3, to cause a stripe tobe marked on its edge 22. For stability, the left hand is desirably rested upon the top surface of the marker positioning plate 24.

The entire device 10 can be made from plastic and desirably at least the marker positioning plates 24 and 26 are transparent so that the user of the marking device 10 can observe that the stripe 50 is being properly formed. Used in this manner, stripes such as the stripe 50 can rapidly and uniformly be marked on file cards. An adjustable set screw or the like such as the set screw 52 may be threaded into the upper markerpositioning plate 24 and be adjusted for engaging the marking implement 38 and holding it in position to properly form the stripe 50.

For-some applications it may be desired to mark a stripe slightly below the top edge 22 of a file card 16. Because the diameters of the apertures 34 and 36 are larger than the external diameter of the marking implement 38, the top end of the marking implement 38, when grasped, can be pushed toward the guidesurface 20 causing the marking implement 38 to engage the margins of the apertures 34 and 36 at the points be positioned with its leading edge spaced slightly from the guide surface 20. As apparent, when a file card is then drawn past the felt tip 40 the stripe formed thereon will be separated slightly from the top edge 22 of the file card.

The card guide member 18 and spacer 28 may each have a nearly rectangular cross section and contribute substantially to the weight of the marking implement 10 along the side thereof at which they are located. Accordingly, when the implement 10 is resting on a horizontal surface, the marking implement 38 can be grasped by hand and the hand conveniently placed upon the top surface of the upper marker positioning plate 24, the implement 10 therebybeing held in a stable position. The plates 24 and 26 are smaller than the card support plate 22 so that a card 16 can be pressed against the support surface 14 without any interference from the plates 24 and 26. Of course it will be recognized that any sort of body member having portions defining a sloping aperture of sufficient size to properly position the marking implement 38 and a top surface of sufficient area to support a hand could be mounted in fixed relation to the support plate 12 and guide member 18, only one body member then being used in place of the two plates 24 and 26.

I claim:

1. An edge marking device especially adapted for marking colored stripes on the edges of file cards comprising: a card support member having a card support surface, a card guide member having a card guide surface extending perpendicularly from said card support surface for guiding an edge of a file card in a predetermined path along said support surface, and marker positioning means overlying and fixed in relation to said support surface and said card guide surface for receiving and positioning a marking implement with its marking tip spaced slightly above said support surface for engagement with the edge of a file card abutted against said card guide surface, at least part of said marker positioning means being transparent whereupon the marking of an edge on a file card can be observed.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 wherein said marker positioning means includes a marker positioning member portions of which define an aperture for removably receiving the marking implement.

3. The device as defined in claim 2 wherein said marker positioning means has a top surface of sufficient support area that the marking implement can conveniently be grasped by hand and the hand placed on said top surface.

4. An edge marking device especially adapted for marking colored stripes on the edges of file cards comprising: a card support member having a card support surface for slidably receiving file cards; a card guide member having a card guide surface extending perpendicularly from said'card support surface; marker positioning means including at least one marker positioning member overlying said card support surface and in fixed relation thereto, at least part of said marker positioning means being transparent whereupon the marking of an edge on a file card can be observed; and a marking implement projecting upwardly through a marker receiving aperture in said marker positioning member and downwardly toward said support plate sufficiently close to said card support surface to engage a file card being moved over said card support surface.

5. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein said marking implement has a marking tip with a front edge located in the plane of said card guide surface and a planar marking surface spaced from and parallel to the underlying portion of said card support surface.

6. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein said marking implement includes an elongate, generally cylindrical body member and a marking tip projecting from 'one end of said body member, said marker receiving aperture having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said body member and said marking implement projecting both above and below said marker positioning means.

7. The device as defined in claim 7 further including adjustable means for retaining the marking implement engaged with surface portions of said marker positioning means defining said aperture.

8. The device as defined in claim 5 wherein said card support member comprises a card support plate, wherein said card positioning means comprises a pair of marker positioning plates having aligned sloping apertures therethrough removably receiving said marking implement, each of said plates being mutually parallel, said marker positioning plates being separated by a spacer and said card support plate being separated from said marker positioning plates by said card guide member.

9. The device as defined in claims 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 wherein said marker positioning member has an upper surface of suffiment.

*z gggg UNITED STATES PATlElN'; )FFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,5 5, 3 Dated December 8, 1970 Inventor(s) Carl E. Beers It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 18, "form" should be --from-- Column 4, line 9, "claim 5 should be --claim b- Column 4, line 1h, "claim 5" should be --claim A Column line 21, "claim 7" should be --claim 6--'- Column l, line 25, "claim 5" should be --claim 4-- Column line 3 claims 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9" should be --claims I, 5, 6, 7 or 8-- Signed and sealed this 11 th day of May 1 971 (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

